St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-06-06
THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS.
Rev. M. ID. Shutters Sermon at the
Church of the Redeemer. na-

Church OF the Redeemer. D1
The passage which we call the Sermon
on the Mount is probably a collection of
sayings spoken by Jesus at different
times and upon various occasions. There
is no such unity as to make these chap
tiers a connected discourse. To the
original words spoken by Jesus upon the
mountain, other precepts were, no
doubt, added by the writer that the
whole might represent the fundamental
doctrines of the new kingdom and give
a general view of the teachings of Him
who ''spoke with authority" The peo-
pie recognized the fact that a new force
was among them. A breath from heaven
was stirring the dry bones of tradition.
The world instinctively recognizes a
master. Let real man arise, and the
sound of his trumpet will not fail to
rally an army. Whoever has a genuine
word for his fellows may be sure that
his message will not fall fruitless to the
ground. We look to Jesus as authority
i'll the sphere of practical moral and
spiritual truth. He was no scientist or
philosopher. In matters that pertain to
science and philosophy we look else
where for instruction. We do not find
it i'll the Sermon on the Mount. When
to conscience and God, to worship and
duty, we come to Him who said: Il am
the light of the world" He was the
worlds highest example of goodness
the divineSt man of all time. He was
not God as many regard him, but the
cleareSt and sublimeSt manifestation OF
God IN human nature-the 'firSt-begOt-
ten" of the Father, not in the order of
time, but in the dignity of His character
and the Importance of His mission.
Within the sphere which He filled,
in the execution of His miSsion-He
spoke with authority. There was no
doubt something in His personality that
drew men, that commanded their atten-
ton, that was strong and magnetic. He
himself was greater than what He said.
His words, after all, were but spray
from the ocean of His life-Stars that
glittered in the infinite azure ofHis soul.
The authority of Jesus was the au-
thorlty of deep experience. The method
OF the divine instruction is the same for
all OF us-through the soul. Do you
suppose Jesus had seen God face to face
and received from Him the truth He was
to teach, as School-boy receives the al
phabet or multiple cation table from his
Instructor? How could He? God is a
spirit. No one hath seen God at any
time. How did Jesus learn the will and
receive the message of the Father? Not
in audible words from the skies, but
through His own soul, His own
cons :ience, his own experience.
The way to the deeper truth
OF the eternal must be trodden with
bleeding feet. Every word of wisdom
HE learned" we are told, ''by the
pangs he suffered" But he speaks to
us not only from the valley but also
from the hilltop. There were times of
spiritual uplifting. He knew joy as
well as sorrow. He knew the peace of
God which passeth understanding. He
knew the gladness of obedience. He
therefore speaks with authority when
he says: "COme unto me. My
yoke is easy and my burden is light"
The authority of Jesus was the ail-
thority of deep, spiritual insight. Jesus
had the seeing eye which pierced deep
into the realities of things. The quiet
hours in His Fathers house or shop, His,
meditatiOns in the fields and among the
hills were full of insight into the mean
objects: The grass, the lilies, the lakes,
the birds, yielded then secrets and gave
Him some revelation from the Father.
The other world lay very close
to Him. His brow was famed
by breezes from paradise, His
eye pierced the veil and beheld the
joy and glory and victory in the man
sions of His Fathers house. The
authority of Jesus is the authority of
exalted character. He lived what He
preached, and His words are authora-
tative because He lived them. Behind
every utterance is the weight of His
character. His lips were eloquent be-
cause his Heart was sound.
We yield to His authority because His
words reach and eXalt us. The great
truths He enunciated commend them
selves to the human mind and satisfy.
while they purify, the human heart.
The Fatherhood of God, the brother
hood of man, the conviction of i'm
mortality, the supremacy of duty, the
superiority of that kingdom of God
which is not meat and drink, but
righteousness and joy and peace-these
truths find an inward response that
recognizes the moral authority of Him
who taught them.